Festive food for thought: 7 delicious Christmas recipes

After two years of lockdowns we’ll finally get to celebrate Christmas properly this year, so let’s make it one to remember.

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As the temperature dips, we’ll once again get to eat, drink and be merry as we gather inside free from the clutches of Jack Frost.

Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork are the perfect ingredients for any warming winter dish. They are sourced from quality assured Scottish farms that adopt the best animal welfare and production methods.

Donna Wiseman, of Bert Fowlie Butchers in Strichen, says: “Red meat as an alternative to turkey can be a showstopper. A juicy beef wellington or fantastic rib roast are great centrepieces for the Christmas table.”

A week of Christmas recipes

But it’s not just on the day itself that we’ll be looking for some gourmet delights. All through the festive week you can enjoy dishes enhanced by succulent cuts of Scotch meat from your local butcher or supermarket.

So with that in mind, we’ve teamed up with Make It Scotch to offer up a set of delicious recipes to inspire and warm you over the seven days of Christmas.

How to make Roast Scotch Beef with Red Wine Jus

This winter warmer takes less than two hours to make and goes beautifully with roast tatties, sprouts and parsnips.

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg topside of Scotch Beef UK GI
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• Small bunch fresh thyme
• Pinch sea salt and black pepper
• 500ml dry red wine
• 2 tsp Scottish rapeseed oil
• 2 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 300ml reduced salt beef stock
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan oven/gas 7 and transfer the meat to a small roasting tin. Spread a mix of half of the honey, thyme, salt and pepper over the beef. Pour half the wine into the roasting tin then bake for 1 hour 5 mins (10 to 15 mins longer if you want it well cooked) spooning the cooking juices over the beef halfway through. For the sauce, add pan juices to the saucepan with the shallots. Then add the remaining honey and wine with the stock and jelly and heat gently, stirring until the jelly dissolves. Then raise the heat and boil rapidly for 10-15 minutes until slightly syrupy.

Slow-cooked Specially Selected Pork Asian Stew recipe

A delicious meal with a touch of cinnamon, this is the perfect dish to give your festive celebrations an Asian twist.

Ingredients

• 500g lean Specially Selected Pork boneless shoulder, trimmed and cut into 3cm thick chunks
• 3 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing cooking rice wine or dry Sherry
• 10g fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large fleshy red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
• 1 large red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 225g carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 200g brown or chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered
• 2 star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick

Method
Marinade the pork in the soy sauce, wine, ginger, garlic and chilli for 30 minutes. Stir fry the pepper, carrots and mushrooms for two minutes then transfer to the slow cooker. Drain the pork, reserving the marinade. Reheat the frying pan juices and stir fry the pork for 2-3 minutes until browned all over. Transfer to the slow cooker and re-cover. Pour 300ml water into the frying pan and add the spices and reserved marinade. Bring to the boil then pour over the pork and vegetables. Stir everything together and leave to cook for 4-4 1/2 hours.
Serve with steamed or stir fried vegetables, chunky bread, rice or noodles.

How to make Chimichurri Scotch Beef Popovers

These tasty canapes are the perfect party appetiser and can be made up to two days in advance.

Ingredients

• 300g Lean Scotch Beef UK GI sirloin steak, trimmed
• 75g plain flour
  1 large egg, beaten
  125ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1½ tsp dried oregano
• A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 15g parsley, freshly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 fleshy red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

Method
Whisk the flour, egg, milk, 1/2 tsp oregano and a little seasoning into a thin batter and leave to stand in a jug for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the remaining oregano and 3tbsp oil together with the vinegar, parsley, garlic and chilli to make a Chimichurri sauce. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan oven/gas 7. Spoon 1/4 tsp oil into 12 jam tart tins and place in the oven for 2 minutes to heat up. Stir the batter and pour in to each tin to 1/2 fill them. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the tins and keep warm. While the popovers are cooking, season the steak on on both sides. Leave to stand for 15 minutes before cooking. Fry the steak at a high heat for 1 minute on each side. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat, cover lightly and leave to stand until ready to serve. To serve, slice the steak very thinly. Spoon a little Chimichurri sauce into each popover and top with steak slices. Spoon over the remaining Chimichurri sauce and serve immediately sprinkled with fresh parsley and more chilli if liked.

Spicy Scotch Lamb Pastries recipe

Another sensational party appetiser with a little kick. Your guests will be rushing back for more.

Ingredients

• 300g minced Scotch Lamb UK GI
• 40 pine nuts, toasted
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 1½ tsp ground coriander
• A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1tsp concentrated mint sauce
• 4 filo pastry sheets (30 x 35cm sheets)
• 3 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

Method
Toast the pine nuts in a pan for 2-3 minutes then cool on kitchen paper.
Put the lamb, all but 1tbsp pine nuts, garlic and spices into a bowl. Mix well and season lightly. Mix in the mint sauce. Divide into 12 portions and form each into a 5cm patty. Leave to the side. Work with one filo sheet of pastry at a time, brushing each one lightly with oil all over. From one of the shorter sides, fold up the bottom third of the pastry and then fold the top third down. Brush with oil and cut into 3 even-sized pieces. Place a lamb patty into the centre of each sheet, bring up the sides and scrunch to make a rough case around the filling, leaving the top open. Cover and chill. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan oven/gas 6. Arrange the pies on a large lined baking tray. Brush the pastry with any remaining oil and bake for 25 minutes.

How to make Specially Selected Pork Christmas Trimmings Tray Bake

This delicious dish is a great way to use up any root vegetable leftovers.

Ingredients

• 4 x 200g chunky Specially Selected Pork chops (2.5cm thick), trimmed
• 350g carrots, peeled and sliced lengthways
• A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 450g baby potatoes, scrubbed and halved or quartered
• 350g parsnips, peeled and sliced lengthways
• 4 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
• 100g cranberry sauce
• 225g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 200g shallots or small onions, peeled and thickly sliced
• A few sprigs of fresh sage, washed

Method
Put the carrots into a large saucepan with water, bring to the boil then cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, bring back to the boil and cook for 5 minutes before adding the parsnips and cooking for 2 more minutes. Drain and leave to cool. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan oven/gas 6. Mix 3 tbsp oil and all but 1 tbsp of cranberry sauce together.
Arrange all the vegetables on a baking tray and brush with the cranberry oil paste. Season lightly, sprinkle with sage and bake for 25 minutes. Season the pork chops and fry for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan, reserving the pan juices, and arrange on top of the vegetables. Mix the remaining cranberry sauce into the pan juices and brush over the chops. Bake for a further 20 minutes until everything is cooked through and piping hot. Serve with gravy and extra cranberry sauce, with fresh sage sprinkled on top.

Festive Scotch Lamb Bobotie recipe

This South African version of a lamb bake is  sweet and sour with a hint of spice and can be served hot or cold.

Ingredients

• 350g leftover lean cooked Scotch Lamb UK GI, finely chopped, shredded or minced
• 1 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 tbsp medium curry powder
• A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp cranberry sauce
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• 40g dried cranberries
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 300ml semi-skimmed milk

Method
Fry the onion, garlic and curry powder for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Leave to cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan oven/gas. In a bowl, mix the lamb with a little seasoning, the cranberry sauce, breadcrumbs and dried cranberries. Stir in the cold onion mixture. Mix the eggs and milk, season lightly and stir into the lamb mixture. Transfer to a double-lined 20cm spring-clip of a loose-bottomed cake tin. Put the tin onto a baking tray and bake for about 1 hour until the custard is just set. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Carefully unmould the bobotie. Cut into wedges and serve sprinkled with toasted flaked almonds, chilli flakes and fresh coriander.

How to make a Scotch Beef Festive Meatball Sub

Just the thing for Boxing Day, these enticing offerings come with a sprout and apple slaw.

Ingredients

• 350g Scotch Beef UK GI steak mince 5% fat
• 3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 100g red cabbage, trimmed and shredded
• 100g brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded
• 1 large eating apple, washed, cored and grated
• 1tbsp horseradish sauce
• 50g light mayonnaise
• 1tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil
• 4 wholemeal sub rolls

Method
Put the minced beef into a bowl and mix in one third of the spring onion and a little seasoning. Divide into 16 portions and form each into a small ball. Cover and chill until ready to cook. For the slaw, put the cabbage and shredded sprouts in a bowl. Mix in the remaining spring onion and the grated apple. Mix the horseradish sauce and mayonnaise together and mix into the slaw ingredients to lightly coat them. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Fry the meatballs over a medium heat for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover lightly and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Line the rolls with the slaw and top each with 4 meatballs. Serve with your favourite sauce or dressing to spoon over the top.

A butcher’s tips for the perfect Christmas

If you’re wondering about how to cater for family and friends this Christmas then Donna Wiseman, of Bert Fowlie Butchers in Strichen, has a few tips to get the most out of your festive season.

For those looking for inspiration for on the days around Christmas, she says: “Brisket is great because you can roast it and then you can put it in your soup. With the leftovers you can use it for stovies or even for cold meat sandwiches later.”

Donna also says not to worry too much about getting your quantities right as your butcher can always help.

She adds: “We always ask customers how many they are feeding, whether it’s adults, kids or even toddlers. Often we would present a piece of meat on the counter so the customer can gauge the size and if they’re not happy we can cut it or select another size to the customer’s liking. Our butchers are well trained and quite happy and confident to give the customer the correct size that they require.”

Donna is having the traditional turkey, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, stuffing and brussells sprouts for her Christmas meal. But she says: “As an alternative to turkey, I would suggest a gammon because it’s versatile. You can cook it for your roast and then eat it cold afterwards. Just slice it down and then eat in sandwiches or with sauce and cauliflower.”

And what about that all-important question of when to eat your steak pie?

Donna laughs: “I would say have a steak pie anytime but we have one on New Year’s Day.”

Guaranteed quality with Scotch meat

The Scottish red meat industry supports around 50,000 jobs and works to the highest standards. Animals are guaranteed to be born and reared in Scotland on quality assured holdings in a landscape of lush grasslands that are perfect for livestock.

QMS works with the Scottish SPCA to guarantee welfare across the supply chain, while members of its assurance schemes are independently audited for best practice.

Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb also hold UK Geographical Indication status which demands a proven link between the traditions and environment of a country of origin and a product which is of the highest quality.

The health benefits of Scottish meat are also many. Beef, lamb and pork play and important role in a healthy, balanced diet. Red meat is a great, natural source of vitamin B12 which help support our immune system and reduce fatigue

Look for the Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork logos when shopping in your local butchers and supermarkets. When you see them, you know you are choosing beef, lamb and pork you can trust.

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So stock up this Christmas for the perfect festive feast and remember to Make It Scotch.